Recent reports indicate that cuts made by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have disproportionately impacted the agency's self-driving safety staff. Approximately 30 employees were laid off, many of whom were still in their probationary periods. An unnamed former employee expressed concerns that these reductions would hinder NHTSA's capacity to effectively monitor self-driving technologies. This development comes just months before Tesla's anticipated launch of its robotaxi service in Austin, raising questions about the future of automated vehicle safety oversight.